Ch 38: Powerful
“NOoooo!” Melissa screamed with every ounce of strength she possessed, her fist clenched tightly at her side, her head snapping forward toward Lucien, shattering the silence that had settled over the training field.
Everyone was startled by her high-pitched, shrieking scream, but more than anything, Melissa felt her body flush with heat as all eyes turned to her, staring as if they had never seen anyone so brazenly object to Lucien before.
Lucien turned toward Melissa with that same impassive expression he always wore, giving nothing away about what he was thinking.
"I won’t duel with you." Melissa, mustering all her courage, rejected Lucien’s proposal. She would much rather face Patrick, who had challenged her first, than battle Lucien, who could probably crush her with a single finger.
Maybe she was exaggerating Lucien’s strength, but he was nothing short of a monster from the stories she had heard. He had already accomplished feats others believed impossible, and he had entirely redefined what impossible meant for both his own generation and those to come.
And here she was—a girl who had never fought in an actual duel, not once in her life except for the childish hair-pulling scuffles with other children in her village, back when arguments sometimes escalated. Even in the last five years, she’d never needed to resort to pulling anyone’s hair, since no one her age dared trouble her anymore; their parents would be the first to scold them if they tried to pick a fight with Melissa. And now, on her very first day at the academy, she was supposed to fight not just anyone, but someone like Lucien. It was unthinkable. Like any rational person, she had to refuse.
"It’s for your well-being," Lucien answered, dismissing her rejection in a casual tone as he began walking toward the weapons rack where Melissa stood. He was coming straight for her.
Melissa, unable to find words, froze in place. What did Lucien mean, saying it was for her well-being? Who would ever believe that? Did he think she was some naive girl?
Ugh, I can’t deal with this nonsense anymore.
Melissa immediately without thinking much began to cry openly, overwhelmed by everything that had happened. At that moment, she felt unbearably weak. Her loud sobs echoed across the field, tears streaming down her cheeks, and before long, she collapsed to her knees, covering her face with both palms as she wept.
Soon, a huge shadow fell across her, turning the bright world dim. Melissa, choking and hiccuping, looked up to see Lucien gazing at her with that same impassive expression. There was no trace of empathy in his eyes, nor did he appear the least bit sad to see her crying. His black hair was slicked back as usual, the top button of his white shirt undone to reveal a muscular upper chest, sleeves rolled up to his forearms, and he wore black pants with polished black leather shoes.
“..I-I ca..can ..ot take i..ttt any..mor-ree.” Melissa angrily growled at Lucien under choking breath.
Lucien remained standing like an unmovable shadow, his hands in his pockets. The silver eyes that once mesmerized Melissa now seemed more like those of a beast who had abandoned all traces of humanity, gazing at her with a disappointment she could not quite name.
Melissa looked around through tear-blurred eyes and saw others staring at her with wild, startled expressions. In the crowd, she spotted Princess Amber, whose face had gone so pale it was as if all the blood had drained from it, and noticed that Eleena, who always stood at Amber’s side, was nowhere to be seen.
As her gaze swept the field, she saw the same bulky professor who had rejected her proposal not to duel Patrick running toward her, his face twisted with shock and disbelief.
Melissa, unable to understand the strange, pale-faced expressions of the students, the princess, and even the bulky professor, turned her head up to Lucien. For a moment, her tears stopped. Lucien was holding a sword—so dark and ominous that it seemed to swallow the light. Its blade was jagged with thorns, and Lucien was pointing it straight at her neck, as if he truly intended to kill her right then and there. She had no idea when or how it had appeared, but now its tip was only inches from her throat.
Melissa choked on her breath, her voice dying in her throat as all the color drained from her face. She began to feel cold, even in the bright daylight, as though the air itself had turned frigid. Her body went limp, and she felt as though she had lost all control of her arms and legs, though they remained attached to her.
"Professor Lucien, you shouldn’t point your sword at a student like that," the bulky professor said, his voice pale and shaky, his hands fumbling in indecision. "If there’s a problem, we can discuss it. Yes, we can talk about anything. Why use blades when words can solve every problem?"
"Every problem?" Lucien asked, tilting his head toward the bulky professor.
"Huh?" The bulky professor was dumbfounded, fear creeping into his voice as Lucien’s tone turned dangerously cold.
"Not every problem can be solved with words, Professor Max," Lucien replied coldly, his voice icy, a faint smirk playing at his lips that most would miss. "Power is what matters in this world, and the weak have no choice but to yield before power."
The bulky professor, whose name Melissa now realized was Max, froze in place, and for a moment, it seemed as if everyone was holding their breath at Lucien’s bold declaration on his philosophy.
Melissa’s own heart was pounding in her chest, as if it wanted nothing more than to leap out.
"Don’t you agree?" Lucien asked, looking Professor Max up and down, as if assessing his worth.
Professor Max clenched his jaw, his eyebrows furrowed with a mix of fear and tension, his fists tightening at his sides. With a reluctance that looked almost painful, he nodded, biting his lip.
Lucien turned his gaze back to Melissa, his expression indifferent. "Stand and fight me, Melissa. Show me how powerful you truly are."
***
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